Is 6.5-06 ( 6.5x63 ) the alternative to 7.62x51?

This is a discussion on Is 6.5-06 ( 6.5x63 ) the alternative to 7.62x51? within the Cartridges & Calibers forums, part of the Sniping Related category; Do u have any info regarding 6.5-06 ( 6.5x63 ) which obviously has a much higher muzzle velocity than the 7.62x51,
lower calibers require less ...

Is 6.5-06 ( 6.5x63 ) the alternative to 7.62x51?

Do u have any info regarding 6.5-06 ( 6.5x63 ) which obviously has a much higher muzzle velocity than the 7.62x51,

lower calibers require less energy to penetrate armour, so 7.62x51 don't have higher penetration than 6.5x63 automatically but rather u have to look at how much energy the bullet retains after it lost the minimum required penetration energy for IT'S caliber, so for the mentioned case for example

7.62x51 requires (x) joules to penetrate level III armour and it has originaly (y) joules at point of impact so it still retains (y)-(x) joules

so if comparison data in that regards could be provided it would be greatly appreciated.

Well, the first problem is that the 6.5-06 is a wildcat with no factory loaded ammo or factory chambered rifles. So it will most likely not be considered an alternative to 7.62x51mm.

That being said, its a fine cartridge and has been around in the wildcat ranks for many many years. Eventually the 6.5-08 eventually was standardized and made into the .260 remington, one can hope the same would happen with the 6.5-06, but I'm not keeping my hopes too high.

The 6.5 bullets do have a better BC and SD than equivelent weight .30 cals, but it would come down to bullet selection. I think the 6.5-06 with 139gr Lapua Scenar bullet would be an amazing cartridge. Barrel burnout would be a concern though. Performance is about on par with the 6.5x284 Norma.

Sometimes the 6.5mm calibre is called .256" because that's the bore diameter. The groove diameter is the same as the bullet, that is to say 0.264".

You see the same thing with English cartridge nomenclature. The English sometimes refer to the 7mm Mauser as a .275 or a .276. And the groove diameter or bullet diameter of the 7mm Mauser is of course 0.284"

Yes, the .256 Newton was a 6.5mm and the round came out a decade before the .270 Winchester. The Germans were really impressed with the .256 Newton and they came up with a round called the 6.5x61mm. This round is very similar to the Newton.

the 256 newton was introduced in 1913, and was developed by Charles Newton and used in his bolt action,Newton rifles went out in the 1920's and the cartridge was dropped by its sole manufaturing company Western in 1938, it is also worth note that it was the only American 6.5 cartridge until the 264 WM in 1959, and teh cartridge can send a 155 grain SMK(BCof .570) at around 2800 FPS and a 140 or 142 grain SMK (BC of almost .600 i believe) at around 3000 FPS

"This started with calculations of the bullet energy required to inflict a disabling wound on soldiers with various levels of protection. The energy varied depending on the calibre, as a larger calibre required more energy to push it through armour. For example, it was calculated that while a 7.62mm bullet would need 700 joules to penetrate modern helmets and heavy body armour, a 7mm would require 650j, a 6.25mm 580j, a 5.5mm 500j and a 4.5mm 320j (this last figure looks wrong and should probably be 420j). This figures applied at the target; muzzle energies would clearly have to much higher, depending on the required range and the ballistic characteristics of the bullet.
"

using handloads.com ballistic calculator

I found out that a 6.5 bullet ( 140 grains ) fired from a 6.5-06 cartridge would have 1235 joules at 700 yards!